A roundup of recent posts on the FSB News page.

– The current economic downturn could make it tougher for new-model, free, ad-supported sites to find the support they expected when starting up.

– Young adults, those aged 18 to 29, are watching TV less often then members of the older age groups. That could direct young-seeking advertisers to the Web more.

– SI.com’s Peter King sees the new deal the Cowboys recently gave WR Roy Williams as a bad sign for the NFL’s labor health. There has been speculation over the past year or so that the league could be in danger of a 2011 work stoppage if it doesn’t work out a new collective bargaining agreement within the next couple of seasons.

– Fantasy Sports Ventures was the fourth largest gainer percentagewise in unique visitors in September, according to comScore rankings. Unique visitors to the site increased by 48 percent over August.

– MyFantasyLeague.com is offering free midseason football leagues.

– Fanball brings the NBA fantasy draft kit to iPhone and iPod Touch users.

By Jeff Thomas

Here’s Your Marketing Hint of the Day: Stop saying “we have the ULTIMATE fantasy game” or “we have the ultimate fantasy web site”! Why? Because it has been used over and over and over again. And because it tells the consumer nothing.

How many fantasy sports games or websites are going to use the “ultimate” adjective once again this year? Does anyone understand the concept of differentiation?

Get a clue, people. I see it almost every day leading up to fantasy football season in an email or press release or as part of an online graphic advertising a website or contest. Don’t you think consumers are sick of hearing about how ULTIMATE you are? It’s time to innovate with your advertising message. After 15 to 20 years of ultimate, how can your game or website be so ultimate?

Using the word “ultimate” to describe your fantasy game — in the title of the game, in a magazine ad or on an online banner ad — is like the owner of a resort saying “come to our ultimate beach hideout for your next vacation.” Every consumer that might be looking to go on a vacation is thinking they want to find a great place with sand, sun and privacy. But why should they visit your particular resort? Because it’s the ultimate? What’s so ultimate? What else can you say to tell me why I should come to your resort? Do you have the best margaritas in the Caribbean? Do you have the hottest looking women on any beach in Jamaica? Now we’re getting somewhere.

John Zaleski founded Ultimate Fantasy Sports in the early 1990s. He was first and earned the right to use the brand. But since his company’s success of the ’90s, many (MANY) “ultimates” have followed. It’s getting ridiculous.

So, people, give us all an ultimate rest and come up with something original.

A new report by eMarketer finds that sports websites will pull in just more than $1.7 billion in revenue this year and approach $3 billion by 2012.

The study projects that total revenue will more than double over the six-year period beginning with 2007. Sports websites collected $1.489 billion in total revenue last year, according to the report, Sports Site Marketing: Ad Revenue Models Pull Ahead. The number is expected to become $2.955 billion by 2012.

Although sports sites currently depend on pay content for a large portion of their revenue streams, advertising is expected to be the big growth area over the next few years. Whereas the eMarketer numbers call for just a 43 percent increase in revenue from pay content from 2007 to 2012, the projections have advertising revenues climbing by about 138 percent, from $812,000 last year to $1.95 million in 2012.

We can only assume that fantasy sports sites will make up a significant portion of this group, as recent FSTA and Ipsos research has shown the fantasy market growing at a rate of about 23 percent a year over the past five years. As the studies have also shown, online fantasy users are a rapt audience, and one that tends to be on the young side and earn a decent amount of money on average. That’s just the kind of group advertisers like to reach.

Those ad dollars are just waiting for fantasy providers to go out and grab them.